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7.25.2011

Orzo, Feta & Kalamata Salad

I want to pretend that I made this refreshing pasta salad myself on Sunday, but the truth is that I was hung over and sunburned from the previous day’s festivities at The Great Hot Dog Cook-Off. The thought of another hot dog, or for that matter anything actually hot, set my stomach churning. My roommate came to my rescue with this delicious Greek inspired pasta salad.

By the way, don’t confuse orzo’s fun shape for rice. It’s really pasta. The word orzo means barley in Italian. In the United States, though, it’s pasta. Are we clear, here? It’s shaped like rice and means barley, but it’s pasta. Ok. Moving on: this is a quick and easy salad that is infinitely variable. Use good kalamata olives and feta and throw in some veggies along with a basic vinaigrette. My roommate used roasted red peppers, red onions and spinach, but tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, fresh bell peppers or scallions would have been great, too.

Cook the orzo in salted boiling water until just tender, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Add olives, spinach, onion, red pepper, garlic and feta. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar separately, then toss all ingredients together. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Chill for an hour to blend the flavors.